Today in 1792, Kentucky became the 15th state.

Kentucky

Kentucky Breweries

• BBC Brewing Co.
• Beer Engine
• Better Days Brewing
• BJ’s Restaurant Brewery
• Bluegrass Brewing
• Browning’s Brewery
• Cumberland Brews Restaurant & Brewery
• Hofbräuhaus Newport
• Lexington Brewing and Distilling
• Red Ear Brewing

Kentucky Brewery Guides

• Beer Advocate
• Beer Me
• Rate Beer

Guild: None Known

State Agency: Kentucky Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control

• Capital: Frankfort
• Largest Cities: Louisville, Lexington – Fayette, Owensboro, Bowling Green, Covington
• Population: 4,041,769; 25th
• Area: 40411 sq.mi., 37th
• Nickname: Bluegrass State
• Statehood: 15th, June 1, 1792

• Alcohol Legalized: December 5, 1933
• Number of Breweries: 13
• Rank: 39th
• Beer Production: 2,625,938
• Production Rank: 27th
• Beer Per Capita: 19.1 Gallons

Package Mix:

• Bottles: 38.4%
• Cans: 58.4%
• Kegs: 6.6%

Beer Taxes:

• Per Gallon: $0.08
• Per Case: $0.18
• Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $2.50
• Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $2.50
• 11% wholesale sales tax; 6% on premise sales tax. Wholesale tax changed in 2005 from 9% to 11%.

Economic Impact (2010):

• From Brewing: $124,158,766
• Direct Impact: $769,002,906
• Supplier Impact: $337,841,508
• Induced Economic Impact: $433,361,880
• Total Impact: $1,540,206,295

Legal Restrictions:

• Control State: No
• Sale Hours: On Premises: 6 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Monday through Saturday
  Off Premises: 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Sundays
• Grocery Store Sales: Yes
• Notes: Local ordinance may vote to permit Sunday sales at restaurants. Sales from 2–4 a.m. only in Louisville. As of 2005 Sunday sales were allowed per state law, but may still be prohibited in some areas by local ordinance (as of early 2006, such a situation existed with smaller cities within Louisville Metro, though these cities have since changed local ordinances).

  Alcohol sale restriction and wet/dry (both by drink and package) allowed by both county and city local option. Approximately 53 counties in the state (mostly eastern and southern counties) are dry, all alcohol sale and possession prohibited; 16 “moist” counties (with “wet” cities allowing package liquor sales in counties otherwise dry); 21 counties that are otherwise dry but have communities with local option that allow sales of liquor by the drink or under special exemptions allowing sales at wineries. Majority of wet counties around major metropolitan areas in state (Louisville, Lexington, Covington, Owensboro, Paducah).

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.